2007 Braille Pals Program
Learning to Love to Read Begins at Home
Register Now for the 2007 Braille Reading Pals Program

Learning to love books and reading begins at home long before your child or student starts formal reading instruction. That�s true for all kids, and it is just as true and important for blind and visually impaired children--including those with delays or additional disabilities.
Here�s a program that gently encourages--and rewards--parents who spend time reading daily with their blind or visually impaired child. It�s called Braille Reading Pals. The program starts November 1 and ends December 31, 2007. We are in the process of taking registrations for the program now so we can mail out the Braille Reading Pals packets in October. The packet contains literature about literacy and Braille, a free print/Braille storybook, a reading journal with instructions, and a free Beanie Baby reading �pal� to use in the program.

We have been doing this program for a number of years. This year we want to add something new. We would like, with your help, to evaluate our program so that we can see if it is making a difference and make it better in the years to come. You can choose to participate in the program but not the evaluation if you wish. Participation in the evaluation study will have no effect on the contact you have with the Braille Reading Pals program or the NFB.

While a prize will be given to those families who complete the program, you will not be paid for the study portion. Information from this study may be presented at meetings or published in professional journals. This information will not include your name or information that can be easily traced back to you.

Please note that we send one packet per child. We have a limited number of packets but, when possible, we do consider special requests, so please explain your situation, and we will do our best to accommodate. For more details about the program, see <http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NOPBC_BRL_Reading_Pals.asp>.

To register, please fill out and mail, fax, telephone, or email the following registration/information/consent form.

Dates to Remember
Registration: September 1 to November 1, 2007
Program: November 1 through December 31, 2007
Journal due: January 18, 2008

2007 prizes: A tactile children�s book
A Braille Valentine�s Day greeting card
A Braille bookmark

Prizes will be shipped within three business days of receipt of the Reading Pals Journal. Journals are to be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the same place the registration forms are sent.

Braille Reading Pals Registration Form
Mail: Braille Reading Pals, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Email: [email protected]
Note: The registration information may be emailed, but the consent form must be mailed or faxed.

[ ] I wish to register for the 2007 Braille Reading Pals program. I understand this is a pre-Braille literacy program for blind and visually impaired prereaders (babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children who are not yet independent readers).

Please send me ___Braille Reading Pals program packets to [ ] school/work address [ ] home address.

Name _________________________________________
[ ] Parent [ ] Teacher [ ] Librarian [ ] Other
Address _________________________________________
City ____________________________
State __________________________ Zip _______________
Child�s name (first and last) ____________________________________
Birth date _________________
[ ] Male [ ] Female
Child�s name (first and last) ____________________________________
Birth date _________________
[ ] Male [ ] Female
Child�s name (first and last) ____________________________________
Birth date _________________
[ ] Male [ ] Female

The best way to contact me is by (provide at least one of the below):
Email _______________________________________
Phone/home ______________________________
Phone/cell _______________________________
Phone/work ______________________________

Note: If you are a teacher or other professional, you must provide the following signed consent form from the parent of each child participating in the program. (Please print out additional consent forms if necessary, or we will send them to parents with the registration packets.)

PARENTS
[ ] I give permission to the Braille Reading Pals, the National Federation of the Blind, and other Braille Reading Pals Partners to use the information obtained in this program, logs, and telephone interviews, to evaluate the Braille Reading Pals program. I am not giving up any of my legal rights by signing this form.

[ ] I want to participate in the program with my family but not in the evaluation study.

Signature of parent _________________________________________
Date _____________
Printed name of parent _____________________________